Hellenic Mountain Race 2023: The First Edition - Mud, Rain, Hiking and Type 2 Fun

The Hellenic Mountain Race is a new single-stage self-supported bikepacking race from the creator of the Silk Road Mountain Race. Our adventure started in Meteora, famous for its rock formations with monasteries perilously perched on them. When Nelson first mentioned the possibility of a race in Greece, we knew we had to be on the start line.
For this first edition, my fiancé, Jake, and I raced as a pair to experience everything the HMR had to offer together.
I hope you enjoy my recap of the event and would love to hear from you in the comments or on Instagram if you have any questions about the Hellenic Mountain Race!

[@simonlynch4204]

When the stunt guy is scared... it's getting real. Loved your recap!!

[@melwwebb]

Thanks so much! It was something else that’s for sure

[@matthieusegard3034]

so nice to see such a different angle and perspective on the race. Cant wait for volume 2!

[@melwwebb]

Thanks Matthieu! I'm sure the second edition will be just as wild!

[@conradgibbevtorque7953]

Great effort guys kudos, would love to see you in New Zealand.

[@melwwebb]

New Zealand is on our list! Jake wants to do the great southern brevet

[@conradgibbevtorque7953]

@@melwwebb nice one ☝️
Some amazing brevets there, if you’re chasing type 2-3 fun check out Te Waipounamu race

[@lydiagould3090]

Beautiful scenery and looks a wonderful event to take part in. But it looked impossibly hard with all the hike-a-bike and climbing, plus challenging weather. I am impressed you managed it so well for so long. Just because you decided to end it early doesn't mean it wasn't a huge achievement!
The cut off times seem harsh considering how slow going it was.
Some of those riders at the start looked to be carrying way too much stuff. A huge disadvantage when you have a lot of hiking and bike carrying. Your set up looked just right.

[@melwwebb]

Thanks so much for the kind words! The weather made things a lot more challenging than folks anticipated, so I expect maybe there will be an additional day to complete the race next year but we shall see! If the weather was dry, some sections would have been very fast but instead they were giant mud pits 🤣

[@theoverdecchia6009]

Great work Mel. It was so cool getting to see the course again!

[@melwwebb]

Thanks homie!!!!

[@ivantitishov9102]

Amazing and inspiring!

[@melwwebb]

Thanks so much Ivan!

[@Eleanor.Moseman]

Great stuff Mel! Was wonderful to see the views and hear your voice! ❤

[@melwwebb]

Thank you so much for watching - you are the best!

[@MartinMcShaneMScMSMRCGPMA]

Great account - thanks for sharing. 😊

[@melwwebb]

thanks so much Martin! Really appreciate it. It was a wild ride.

[@albert85b]

Really enjoyed this video! Hope to see more of your adventures.
PS, what did you use to shoot the video?

[@melwwebb]

Hey thanks so much! Working on another video of a recent bikepack in the canadian rockies so stay tuned. I shoot my video on a GoPro Hero 10! There are a few iphone videos in here but mostly the GoPro